Reminiscent Memories
by May Vulcan
Summary: After a mistake he made years ago, Richard decides that it's finally time to set things right. But will he actually have the courage to face an old friend after all the pain he put her through?
1. I Don't Need You

**DISCLAIMER:** I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

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><p><span>CHAPTER ONE – I DON'T NEED YOU<span>

It was April 22, 2002, as Richard Grayson sat alone in his bedroom. His brand-new laptop lie open atop his polished study table as the screen glowed with a bright shine. It was just a few hours past midday as the Boy Wonder sulked about the grade that was plastered onto the screen.

**01 – M. Prince – English 2 Honors – A+**

**02 – P. Richmond – AP History – A**

**03 – E. Chang – Algebra 2 Honors – A**

**04 – B. Zanderfield – Student Leadership – A+**

**05 – B. Raines – AP Biology – A+**

**06 – B. Hillcrest – Spanish 2 – A+**

**07 – L. Turner – Cooking – A-**

His blue eyes narrowed at the sight of his seventh period elective. How on earth could he be passing by with an A minus? An A minus was close enough to a B plus that – at Jump City High – it was basically the same thing. And Richard Grayson would _not _stand for an _A minus_ or a _B plus _for that matter. Richard buried his head under his arms just as the door to his bedroom creaked open.

"Am I allowed into the premises?" laughed the familiar voice of Richard's best friend and girlfriend, Kori Anders.

Rolling his eyes playfully, Richard put his head up and swiveled around in the black, leather, computer chair. Almost instantaneously, his blue eyes met the stunning green eyes of his best friend/girlfriend. "Well, it would be pointless in telling you 'no' now… considering the fact that you're kinda already in here…" Richard retorted with a crooked smile.

Kori tilted her head to the side before taking mental note of Richard's smile; she could sense the distraught behind it. "Obviously…" she chimed, "…something's wrong; what's the matter, love?"

Richard waited as Kori took a seat on his bed; how was it that Kori always knew when something was wrong? "It's my grades, Kor."

A moment of silence passed before Kori burst out in laughter. "You are only joking, yes, Richard? What…? Is the almighty soon-to-be Valedictorian suffering because he has _one A minus_?"

"Ya'know, it's not all that funny," Richard hissed. "Besides, I'm not officially the Valedictorian just yet – it's not something I want either. It's just something Xavier and Kitten can't have."

"Then… if it is not an A minus, are you seriously failing?" Kori questioned., concern dripping in every word; the last thing she – or anyone else at Jump City High with common sense – wanted was for Katherine Moth or Xavier Redd to gain the title as the Valedictorian of 2004.

"I…" Richard began, knowing all too well what were to happen if he was honest to Kori, "Starfire, I… I never said it _wasn't _an A minus…"

Kori's eyes narrowed as she ran both of her hands into her red hair. "Oh my wow-! Richard John Grayson, are you _serious_! What is your problem? It's _one _A minus against how many other A's and A pluses, isn't it?"

Richard scratched the back of his neck; he certainly didn't want Kori to think that _she _was actually _winning_ the fight. If anything, Richard just wanted to prove to Kori how terrible this letter grade was in his eyes. "You don't understand, Star! It's from seventh period – the easiest A in the history of Jump City High School!"

"Cooking?" Kori remarked, jumping to her feet. "Dick, you're lucky you're even _passing _that class!"

"With an A fucking minus, Kori Anders!" Richard shouted back.

"Oh, grow up, Dick Grayson! We rarely ever show up to that class! We're lucky that we haven't been dropped from the class. What with Student Leadership asking for so much of our time, it's a wonder how we even thought that we could handle this crazy schedule… Student Leadership always seems to be clashing with the lesson plans of cooking-."

"Why am I _not _surprised?" Richard snarled. "Of course _you_ would be okay with an A minus, Kori Anders. You don't even try! You _never _try! You can _barely _handle work, hence the reason as to why you dropped out of all your AP classes this year! I swear you-!"

"EXCUSE ME!" Kori yelled, taken slightly aback at his last statement.

The couple was now face to face with each other, having –what seemed to be – the stare down of the century. Kori's usually emerald eyes were engulfed with anger and hatred while Richard's blue eyes were now filled to the brim with fire and rage. Neither of them looked as though they were going to give in anytime soon.

"Are you suggesting that I'm lazy?"

"You dropped out of all your AP classes when the going got tough. When the work load became too much of a hassle, you went straight to the school administrators to have your schedule changed. It's the typical you! You go and run for help when the tiniest of things goes wrong! For once, just once, can't you handle something on your own?" Richard bellowed.

"When the hell did this become about me, Grayson?" Kori sneered, her fist tightly balled at her sides. "At least I can handle an A minus, which quite frankly is more than you and I both deserve."

"Oh yeah?" Richard wondered. "Is that what you think? I'll tell you what I think then, Anders! I think that the only reason you can handle _anything_ is because you have me!"

Kori's eyes widened as she slapped Richard across the face. "You know what? I have had it with you, Grayson. First, you suggest that I'm lazy. Then, you somewhat imply that I'm weak. And _now _you're suggesting that I need you in my life to survive! I do _not _need this and I certainly don't need you, Richard Grayson. Good day to you, sir!"

With that, Kori stormed out of Richard's bedroom; the scowl on her face more visible than any other facial expression Kori had ever expressed.

"Well good riddance to ya!" Richard shouted as he slammed the bedroom door behind Kori. " I don't need you either!"

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES:<strong> I really do think I should finish this story to the best of my abilities. LOL. I will try to complete this story before my senior year. Also, I would like to let you guys know that this story – alongside _The Girl of My Dreams_ – is going to be my first priority to finish (unless, of course, I get enough messages telling me to work on another story or something). I would also like to state that the chapter of this story was rewritten and republished on **August 2, 2012**.

Very much like when I originally published this story: I would like to apologize if the characters are a little (or ultra) OOC; I was never any good at capturing anything in its original light. Anyways, reviews would be lovely :D

~ May Vulcan


	2. Because I Like You

**DISCLAIMER:** I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

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><p><span>CHAPTER TWO – BECAUSE I LIKE YOU<span>

It had been exactly four years since Richard had last spoken to Kori, his now ex-girlfriend and former best friend. He was currently sitting five tables away from Koma Anders and her group of unfriendly followers at the Jump City Shopping District's food court. And though he rarely spoke to Garfield, Victor or Rachel – considering, it had been two years since he had visited the city of his teenage years and because the trio rarely spoke to him after his fight with Kori – Richard was comforted to know that his old friends were by his side.

"Fucking asshole," Koma hissed loudly enough for Richard and his friends to hear, "I hope you're happy now!"

"Yeah," Terra shouted, "stupid prick!"

Almost instantly, Garfield Logan – Gar, for short – instinctively stood up from his seat to defend his close friend. "Hey! Leave Dick alone, Terra! He's got more important things to deal with right now, okay?"

"And suddenly those 'things' are more important than my baby sister?"Koma sneered as she made her way over to their table. "I knew I was right about you, Grayson. You're nothing more than a try-hard, stupid douche!"

With that, Koma snapped her fingers in the direction of her group, signaling for them to make their exit with her. Garfield, Victor and Rachel watched in silence as the group strutted out of the mall's food court while Richard began to slouch over his food. Slowly, a frown appeared on his face as he poked at his taco salad with a fork. His friends exchanged a knowing glance before they continued eating.

"Guys, I think it's time we head back to Rachel's place," Richard suggested, slowing letting the words of Kori's older sister sink into his mind.

"_If I were you, Richard," Kori whispered as Koma's friends walked away from a very angry Richard Grayson, "I wouldn't dare listen to the likes of my older sister; Koma's got a thing for trash-talking everyone she encounters. It's been like that since we were younger. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't listen to a single thing _any _of those girls just said, Robin. You're not a prick… or an asshole… or a jerk… or a douche. I certainly wouldn't be here if you were."_

_The date was May 14, 2000. Richard and Kori were casually hanging out at the park outside the Anders' household when Kori's older sister, Koma, had approached them._

"_Okay…" Richard responded, sullenly. "You're too blinded by our friendship to see the type of person that I truly am. Those girls _have a point_. I've hurt you way too many times in the past, Star… some friend I turned out to be…"_

_Kori put her finger to her lips, indicating Richard to stay quiet. "Stop right there, Richard Grayson," she demanded. "Why are you even beating yourself up for that stuff? You said it yourself: 'in the _past_…'! What's done is done. I forgive you for everything. Remember that there is _nothing_ that you could ever do to make me hate you. I'm almost positive that there's absolutely _nothing_ you could ever do to change our friendship."_

"_But… why?" Richard cried out. "Why on earth would you say something like that? I've hurt you time and time again! And yet, we always manage to end up the best of friends as though nothing ever happened! Why is that? You're supposed to hate me for all the things that I've done! You're supposed to never speak to me for all the times that I lashed out on you! So _why_ are you still friends with me?"_

_Kori smirked to herself. "Would you rather I not talk to you?" she offered, shutting Richard up immediately. "Exactly; that's what I thought. And besides, it's never as though you actually _meant _to do the things that you did; I am positive that those things were just 'in the heat of the moment' type things."_

_Richard sighed as he looked away from Kori. "But still… heat of the moment or not… when Xavier would do things like this to you, you would kick his ass in a heartbeat. Why do you even bother sticking around me when all I'm good for is making you feel bad?"_

"… _because I like you…"_

_Not hearing the words Kori had just uttered, Richard decided to go on with his rant; he felt terribly guilty for all the pain he had to put Kori through – especially when all she really did was check up on him from time to time. "Tell me, Kori! Please, tell me why I'm so different from everyone else?"_

_Kori watched as Richard went on and on with his little spiel; she did not understand where he was trying to go with it. Did he want her to stop talking to him? Or was he just trying to make her understand how guilty he felt because of Koma's harsh – yet, apparently true – insults?_

_Gently lifting his chin and ignoring his speech, Kori made eyes contact with Richard as best she could, looking deeply into his blue eyes. Wrapping her arms around him gently, she whispered into his ear, "It's because I like you, silly."_

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>: Again, my apologies for rewriting this series before actually _completing _it. I am trying so hard to rework certain elements of this story so that the ending will make a little more sense than what I originally had. However, I will have you all know that I have made it my summer goal to complete this "rewriting" phase so that I may continue with the rest of the storyline. I imagine that it must be frustrating to you guys to have to wait a while before going onward with the story… buuuuut I am adding a few new elements to the other chapters, so stayed tuned for the updates! :] A promise is a promise and I will do my best to complete the "rewriting" of this series. This chapter was rewritten and republished on **August 6, 2012**.

Again, my apologies, guys! Remember, good things come to those who wait. ;) Cheesy, but what the heck, right? If you would like, I have some other stories you all can check out. :D Anyways, I really appreciate the interest in the story. Thanks for reading, duckies! Also, reviews are highly welcomed!

~ May Vulcan


	3. Start of Something New

**DISCLAIMER:** I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

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><p><span>CHAPTER THREE – START OF SOMETHING NEW<span>

Smiling faintly to himself, Richard recalled the amazing moment in his past when Kori admitted her feelings for him. He remembered how that had been the day when things between the two of them had changed immeasurably; it was, after all, the day he and Kori had taken their friendship to the next level. Hangout days with the gang suddenly became one-on-one time between the two teenagers. However, whenever confronted about their relationship status, neither Kori, nor Richard admitted to being single or taken.

"We were _never _boyfriend and girlfriend!" Garfield remarked to Rachel Roth and Victor Stone. "Terra's just _weird _like that; she's a compulsive liar, remember? It's not like I would actually go out with her… no matter how hot she is."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I don't care," she responded monotonously, not taking her glance away from the boy with the spiky black hair. "That bitch called Dick an asshole. It wasn't like he was bothering her to begin with."

With a nod, Victor added, "Exactly. If anything, she and Koma were the ones tryna start something over there-."

Richard continued to look out the window, drowning in thoughts of his past before butting into the conversation his friends were having. "Guys," he interrupted, "drop it. Koma and Terra were just being… honest. You can't blame them for that, can you?"

Garfield and Victor exchanged a knowing look to one another before Rachel took the initiative to speak up. "Dick, what's bothering you? You've been this way since you got back from Gotham. Actually, I think from the time you got here up until that run-in with Koma and her friends… you've actually gotten worse."

Richard, not even paying attention to his friends, resumed to looking out the window and having flashbacks of the past. It was not until he felt three pairs of eyes staring him down when he turned around and let Rachel's words sink into his mind. "Wait, what?" he replied, startled. "Oh… umm, guys… it's nothing. Really…"

Victor gave Rachel a side glance, which she responded to with a slight shake of the head. Carefully, Victor took the seat next to Richard on the windowsill. "Nuh-uh, dude; we _know _something's on your mind."

Richard, turning away from the windowpane, smiled politely to his friends. "Guys, seriously… it's _nothing. _Just trust me when I say that. I mean-."

"Look, if you're still hooked on what happened between you and Kori…"

Richard clenched his fists as he quickly rose up from his seat on Rachel's windowsill; he was obviously somewhat angered by Garfield's statement. "Look, can we _not _talk about that? That happened during our sophomore year… in _high school_. We're college sophomores now. I think it's time we let go of that fiasco and looked to our futures."

"Trust me, Dick," Garfield said, scratching the back of his neck, "_we _have… but _you _haven't."

In seconds, Richard fled from the room. He furiously raced down the hallway, only to throw himself against the wall beside Rachel's staircase. There were tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he slowly sunk to the floor. Burying his head into his arms, Richard began to cry silently to himself.

"_Boy, why are you crying?" a petite girl with flaming red hair inquired._

_Richard's head shot up from the ground instantly. It was then that he noticed a green-eyed girl towering before him. "I wasn't crying!" he sneered, wiping his eyes subtly to make sure that he hadn't been crying._

_The girl turned her head to properly face the young Richard Grayson. Her eyes widened almost immediately. "I am _so _sorry! I was only rehearing for my audition later this month… I didn't realize you were there… or that you could hear me."_

"_Wait, what?" Richard wondered, slightly embarrassed._

_It was now lunchtime at Jump City Junior High. Richard Grayson sat alone beside a wimpy tree while the girl in front of him was only standing about two feet away. She smiled as him as she attempted to make friendly conversation with the preteen boy before her._

"_I'm an aspiring actress," she explained with a pearly white smile. "My name is Kori Anders. I just moved to Jump City a few months ago…"_

"_Charmed," Richard replied. "People call me 'Dick'."_

_Kori gasped, "Does that hurt your feelings?"_

_Richard looked at her, trying to contain his laughter.__"No," he said, "because it's my name – Dick Grayson. Most people call me that anyways; it's a nickname. If it's any consolation to you though, my real name's Richard."_

_Kori nodded with a smile before she took a look at her surroundings. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Richard. I really am sorry about a few minutes ago," she apologized, "I didn't see you there…"_

_Richard chuckled. "May I be frank with you, Kori?"_

"_Well, sure, Frank," Kori remarked, "if you prefer it to 'Dick'!"_

_Richard could no long contain the laughter anymore; was this girl actually being serious? He shook his head as he released a snicker. "You can call me whatever you want to call me, Kori!" Richard said, still laughing. "I was just going to tell you that no one really ever notices me… unless they really have to."_

"_Are you sure about that?" Kori wondered, tilting her head. "Someone's bound to notice someone as handsome as you."_

_Richard shrugged. "Only when they have to," he repeated. "That and only when they want something from Bruce."_

"_Who?" Kori asked._

"_My adoptive father," he replied casually, "American millionaire, soon-to-be billionaire… Bruce Wayne, owner of the Wayne Enterprise. Yeah, everyone here only talks to me if they think they can score some points with the old man."_

"_That's terrible," Kori stated. "If that's the case, is this the reason why you're eating by yourself?"_

"_Actually," Richard said, looking at the far corner of the quad, "see that blonde with the pink mini skirt over there?"_

_Kori looked into the direction, in which Richard had implied with his head nudge. She noticed the blonde with the white polo shirt tucked into a pink mini skirt. "Is she the one in the center of the group? If so, then yes…"_

"_That's Katherine Moth," he muttered. "She's my girlfriend… and she kinda _asked _me to sit here. I'm supposed to be waiting for her, but she doesn't look like she's coming around any time soon."_

_Kori shook her head with a smile. "Well, if your girlfriend can have a little fun with her friends, then… why not have a little fun of your own?"_

_Richard looked up at the redheaded girl before him; what was she implying? "What?"_

"_Come sit with me," she offered. "I was going to have lunch with a couple of people that I met the other day in my English class. You can come along if you would like; I am sure it beats sitting under this lonely tree… by yourself."_

_Richard smiled a crooked smile before nodding at Kori's offer. "I'd like that… a lot."_

"_Well then, my friend," she giggled as Richard stood to leave with her, "this is the start of a _beautiful _friendship."_

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>: Two stories rewritten in one day? Totally awesome, no? Well, I'm halfway done with the rewriting stage of this story. Before I continue with it, however, I'm going to work on _The Girl of My Dreams_ first; I feel obligated to do so anyhow. This chapter of _Reminiscent Memories _was rewritten and republished on **August 6, 2012**.

I hope you enjoyed this installment of the story. Please, don't be afraid to review and/or favorite! Also, major brownie points to anyone that understood some of the references made in this chapter of the story. ;) Don't hesitate to check out any of the others stories I have available on my profile; they need love, too! (and I'm desperate right now. XD)

~ May Vulcan


	4. Shelter of the Past

DISCLAIMER: I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

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><p><span>CHAPTER FOUR – SHELTER OF THE PAST<span>

That moment in time had been the start of their friendship. Looking up at the sunny sky above him, Richard smiled to himself; Kori loved days like this. He was currently walking through the old neighborhood in which he and Bruce stayed during his teen years. Richard was now making his way to the old park where he and Kori used to love going – before their big fight that is. Once he made it to the park, he walked slowly to the swings, where he sat alone.

"Lemme guess," a familiar voice snarled, "you're back in town avoiding something back at Gotham State."

Richard's head shot up to see his ex-girlfriend, Katherine "Kitten" Moth, the salutatorian of his graduated class at Jump City High. "Look, Kat… Kitten… whatever, I'm not avoiding _anything_ at the university. I certainly don't have time for your little games, either-."

Kitten smirked as she took the swing beside Richard nonchalantly. "Well," she drawled, "if you're not avoiding something, then you're obviously here for someone. Kor-?"

Richard clenched his teeth together in anger; Kitten Moth was the _last _person he wanted to talk to about Kori and the fight that they had. "Fine, you caught me," he replied, hastily. "I'm here to retrieve an old English assignment – the stupid name project we did in the eighth grade to be exact."

Kitten rolled her eyes. "What about it, Dick?"

"I need it for my Creative Writing course," Richard responded, truthfully. "The way my project turned out in middle school is perfect; I wouldn't have done it any other way."

"You mean because _she _did it for you," Kitten hissed, turning to look at Richard.

Richard, looking straight ahead of him sighed as he let his memories overpower his mind once again.

"_Kori, I am not let you do this for me!" Richard begged. "Please, don't do this, Star."_

_Kori laughed her melodic laugh as she readjusted the phone against her ear. "Richard, if you didn't want me to do the project for you, then why did you call me at midnight to tell me some sob story as to why you couldn't complete this project on your own?"_

"_My printer ran out of ink," Richard began, "I already told you that much."_

"_Then, why don't you change the ink cartridge?" Kori suggested. "I'm sure Bruce has got some sitting around in his home office. You may just be staying in a vacation home, __but I'm almost positive he's got some, Richard."_

"_Umm," Richard stalled, "my printer's broken."_

"_Oh, if that's the case, you can always e-mail me your essay," she offered. "I can print them out here at my house."_

_Richard scratched the back of his head as he turned swiveled around in his computer chair. "Did I say printer?" he wondered. "I meant… my computer's broken."_

_Kori giggled as she looked over her self-portrait for her project. "Ask Alfred to fix it for you. Or you can use Bruce's computer, right?"_

"_Kori… please don't make me say-."_

"_Richard, I'll do it for you," she offered once more. "I know you haven't even started it. And at this hour of the night, I don't believe you have energy or the mind to even start it. Just answer a few questions for me about your name, okay? I just need to know what your name means in the name dictionary and what it means to you; how you got the nicknames-"_

"_Kori," Richard pleaded, "I can't let you do this for me!"_

"_I can't let you fail English!" she chuckled. "Plus, you have an interview for Jump City High's Leaders of Tomorrow, right? You need to be well-rested for that."_

"_Kori, you have that same interview tomorrow," Richard reminded._

"_But you're a born leader," Kori explained, "This opening would be a perfect way for you to start your high school career. I'm more interested in the Drama Club, Richard. I'll do your assignment. It shouldn't take too long, right? I mean 'Richard' is a common name – derived from ancient Germanic – meaning '_brave power_'."_

"_Someone did her research," Richard joked._

"_Well, that someone knew that you weren't going to," she admitted._

Richard smiled. If memory served him right, Kori had spent the entire night working on his project while he prepared for his interview with the Student Leadership board of Jump City High. Luckily, he got into the class… and so did Kori, much to her dismay. Sighing to himself, he looked passed the jungle gym and then turned back to face Kitten.

The day Kori and Richard had found out they made it into Jump City High's Leaders of Tomorrow was the same day he had figured out that Kori was willing to do pretty much anything to ensure that he didn't fail. Granted, many people would have disagreed to Kori's cushioning Richard from failure, but Richard and the people closest to him – Rachel, Victor and Garfield – would had fought against others' words. The quartet – alongside Kori – knew that if Richard were to fail at _anything _he'd get some type of hell from his adoptive father, Bruce Wayne – which was the only reason as to why Kori offered the type of help that she usually did. Just knowing that Kori did everything in her power to make sure that Richard's life was a little easier was enough to him.

"You're only going to use it because _she _made it, aren't you?" Kitten repeated.

In his mind, Richard knew that Kitten was right.

"So what if I am?" he wondered, looking up to the sky.

"You haven't changed one bit!" she shrieked. "You've been this way since we broke up. Every time something becomes too much for you to handle, you run to the shelter of your past – presumably the one with Kori Anders!"

"That is _not _true!" Richard shouted, jumping off of the swing.

"You know it is, Dick Grayson!" Kitten bellowed back. "You're a lost cause…"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>Chapter four is officially complete. And I must say that I am proud of myself for it. That leaves two more chapters to rewrite and then I can proceed with the storyline. So I got a chance to look at some of the reviews that were left on some of the stories, and I must say, I really am sorry that I can't officially take you guys to the part where Richard and Kori meet up again. I want you to know, however, that I will do my best to complete this story soon. This chapter of _Reminiscent Memories _was rewritten and republished on **August 6, 2012**.

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed rewriting it. Also, please don't forget to review. :D Thanks for taking the time to read this, once again.

~ May Vulcan


	5. Knowing You Care

DISCLAIMER: I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE – KNOWING YOU CARE<strong>

"_You are _not _a lost cause, Richard," Kori tried convincing her best friend. "I really do not know how to make you see that."_

"_Exactly," Richard sighed. "I hope you know you're the only one who believes that I'm not a lost cause."_

"_Just like I'm the only one that ever calls you 'Robin'?" she wondered with a giggle._

_Richard nodded, returning the smile. "Well, yeah."_

_Kori looked at Richard with a confused frown; why would he make a random statement like that? There was obviously something on his mind, but the question of the matter was whether or not he really wanted to talk about it in detail. She sighed to herself as she watched Richard fidget with his hands._

"_What makes you think you're a lost cause?" she asked, hoping to get an answer from him. "I mean, you do not usually bring things up like that… unless there's something bothering you."_

_Richard looked up from his hands to Kori. "What are you talking about?" he wondered, surprised she would think that something's wrong._

"_Robin, you are my very best friend," Kori reassured. "I know you pretty well by now; something seemed to be bothering you. You just need to tell me what that something is."_

"_Ya'know inheriting the Wayne Enterprise isn't really something I'm looking forward to," he admitted. "Earlier in class today, Mr. Wilson was having us discuss where we saw ourselves in the future. Lucky me… I was fortunate enough to be paired to _Kitten Moth_ and her current boy toy, _Xavier Redd_. They had something going with their lives, or at least that's how they played it off… and there I sat, not knowing how to answer the questions on the sheet of paper. All I could answer with was pretty much 'The Wayne Enterprise_' _or 'taking after the old man'… and that isn't how I wanted to answer…"_

_Looking at Richard in wonder and awe, Kori smiled to herself. Talking about the future was something the couple was never able to do; Richard liked to focus on things past and present – _never _the future. The future always seemed to scare him too much; it was just the thought of the unknown. After all, at a younger age, he believed that he'd still be a part of The Flying Graysons even in the distant future, but that dream fell through the cracks the night of his parents' murder._

"_Well," Kori tried, "we know what you _don't_ want to do with your life, right? So… let's work with that. What are some other things you know that you absolutely don't want to do?"_

"_Acrobatics…" Richard responded instantly. "I never want to have to be in a trapeze act…"_

_Richard watched as Kori reacted in the most usual way possible: confused. He never explained to her what happened to his parents and he never wanted to. He was thankful that she never bothered to ask either._

"_Okay," she responded with a curt nod. "Anything else you don't want to do?"_

_Richard looked out to the horizon; was there anything else he really didn't want to do with his life? He was enrolled in all of these leadership type organizations for a reason, right?_

"_I'm not so sure," he replied stolidly._

"_Well," Kori went on, "is there anything you think you _want _to do?"_

"_Starfire," Richard explained, "I'm a _lost cause_! There's nothing I could possibly be good for-."_

"_I know I have probably told you this numerous times before – and I'm almost positive you've heard this from the upperclassmen in your Student Leadership course – but __you're a natural born leader," Kori reminded. "Anyone with eyes could see that; everyone at school saw the way you rallied up JC High's Leaders of Tomorrow when Mr. Zanderfield was away on his honeymoon. That was during our _freshman_ year, too! All the upperclassmen wanted to elect _you_ as President of the entire student body after that!"_

"_Well-."_

"_You know, I could go on for hours – days even – on how amazing you truly are. And regardless of what you say," Kori stated, "Gar, Rae, Vic and I know that your determination and strength are enough to get you anywhere, Richard Grayson. Don't ever forget that…"_

_Letting Kori's words sink into his mind, Richard smiled. "What about you, huh?" he asked. "What about your future?"_

"_What about you and _yours_?" she giggled. "I asked you first!"_

"_Yea," Richard replied. "So what? You've been doing all the asking; my turn now. So spill, Anders… you and your future, right here, right now."_

_Kori laughed as she and Richard continued to talk about their futures. It was late in the afternoon while the two of them sat in the park across their high school. The sun was just about to set as Kori answered Richard's question._

"_I told you when we first met that I was an aspiring actress, right? Well, the only reason nothing's really happened yet is because of my anxiety. I have these really bad attacks right before an audition or just when my emotions become too much to handle. Koma's always telling me that these attacks are nothing to worry about; she's always explaining to me how these things cannot kill someone… but she seems to always fail to remember that a lot of our family – including Mom and Dad – died because of these attacks…_

"_I hope to someday overcome my anxiety so that I may be able to pursue my dreams of becoming an actress," Kori explained. "My parents believed in me. Uncle Galfore and Ryan believe in me. I think Koma believes in me… haha… I can never be too sure with her-."_

"_I believe in you too, Star," Richard blurted out._

"_What?"_

"_I believe in your dreams just as much as the rest of your family does," Richard reinstated. "Koma included. I support you."_

"_That's another thing," Kori said with a dreamy smile._

"_What is?" Richard asked, ignoring the vibrations coming from his phone. If anything it was probably just Bruce texting to see where he was or what he wanted to eat later._

"_I want to see you in my future," Kori responded happily as she rested her head on Richard's shoulder. "I know that high school relationships aren't really meant to be taken __seriously, but I don't know so much about that saying anymore… Promise me that even if we're not dating after high school… promise me that you'll still be around."_

"_Kori," Richard said, smiling, "I-"_

_Just then, Richard's phone went off. "Hello? Oh… yeah. Sorry about that, Bruce. I just assumed you were asking what I wanted for dinner."_

_Kori watched as Richard walked over to the park's welcome sign. She did not want to pry into a private conversation between Richard and his adoptive father. After all, whatever it was they were talking about, it sure seemed to be important._

"_Look, Kori," Richard sighed sadly, "I have to go. Bruce really needs my help with something in the… office right now."_

"_Wait!" Kori called out as Richard jumped onto his motorcycle. "What about my question?"_

"I'm not so sure," Richard responded to the lady on the other line. "I should be able to drop by a little before 4:30 later this afternoon. My name? Dick Grayson… yes, ma'am. Of course… yeah, that's me. Oh… uh-huh. Yes, ma'am; they're for her… thank you so much for your help and your time."

Richard had just ordered eleven yellow roses for the girl of his dreams. However, he knew deep in his heart that no amount of flowers could fix the damage he had done. Yet, at the same time, Richard knew that all Kori would truly care about was the fact that someone cared.

"_I'm leaving tomorrow night," Kori whispered. "This is my one-way ticket to freedom, Richard! I have to leave you… I'm sorry."_

_Richard swiftly looked away from Kori as her manicured hands took hold of his fidgeting ones; she wasn't actually going to get up and leave Jump City, right? He took a glance __at the hands interlaced with his; already his freshman year had taken a turn for the terrible and, by the looks of it, things were about to get even worse._

"_Where the hell do you intend on going?" Richard remarked. "You just moved to the States a couple of years ago; you know nothing about the world outside of Jump City! If anything, you know the stories I tell you about Gotham City, but that's all the way on the East Coast! So, tell me, Kori Anders, where the hell do you expect to go?"_

"_Wherever my feet – and that train – decide to take me," Kori replied, still holding Richard's cold hands. The date was May 14, 2001 – Richard Grayson and Kori Anders's one year anniversary as a couple. The two were originally supposed to have a picnic together by the beach, but instead, Kori was now breaking the news of her departure to her best friend/boyfriend. "What's wrong, Robin?"_

"_It's nothing," lied Richard. "I'm just... I have to sit through a meeting with Bruce and some hotshots from the Wayne Enterprise. Then, I have a Geometry test and an English final the morning after… I don't know, Kori. I'm just worried."_

"_I worry about you all the time," Kori confessed, "but you usually come through in the end."_

"_I'm not so much worried about myself than I for someone else," Richard said, eying Kori._

"_Look, if this is about Victor's depression," Kori stated, "just give him some time. I'm sure he'll get over what happened to his car. He should just be thankful that he and Karen were safe. After all, they came out of that accident without a scratch."_

"_It's not Vic," Richard sighed. "At least not _mostly, _it isn't_._"_

"_If this is about Rae and Gar's relationship," Kori suggested, "don't you worry your pretty little head about that one. Terra is just a bump in the road for their friendship. If __anything at all, she might even be that stepping stone that brings those two closer together romantically."_

"_Kori!" Richard shouted, letting go of his girlfriend's hands. "I'm worried about you! I care too much about you to let you get up and go like that! You can't just run away from your home life… Kori, if you want, I can even arrange something with Bruce so that you can stay in the guest house… please… just don't go."_

_Kori smiled faintly to herself as she quickly embraced Richard. Though the two of them had never exchanged the infamous "I love you" lines in their crazy friendship-turned-relationship, just knowing that Richard cared about her was basically enough._

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>One more chapter to go before moving right along with this story. Excited? I know I am! Lemme know what you guys think of the updates and revisions, si? Anyhow, this chapter was rewritten and republished on **August 7, 2012**.

Thanks again for reading! Review, review, review!

~ May Vulcan


	6. Permission Granted

DISCLAIMER: I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX – PERMISSION GRANTED<strong>

After a few more serious talks with Kori, Richard managed to convince her to stay in Jump City. Slowly, he walked past a group of old friends huddled up in front of the local coffee shop; there was some type of JC High's Leaders of Tomorrow reunion taking place and Richard – having been stripped of his Presidential title during his sophomore year – walked past the alumni with neither a worry, nor care.

However, upon passing the group of student, Richard stumbled upon the mighty oak tree upon the hilltop furthest from the park's welcome sign. As he looked toward the tree, he smiled; memories of sheer joy and laughter became to engulf the depths of his mind. That tree – from what Kori had always told him – was the perfect place to read and write poetry with Rachel while he, Garfield and Victor would wrestle each other in the green grass.

Richard continued to walk through the old park, letting memory after memory fill his mind. After another twenty minutes or so, Richard decided that it was about time he head to the vacation house where he and Bruce would stay during their visits to Jump City. It was nearing four-thirty and he still had to pick up the roses he had ordered.

When he arrived, he noticed Bruce backing out of the driveway. At first, Richard was astonished at the sight of his adoptive father; he hadn't expected to see him at all. To his knowledge, Bruce was supposed to be in Gotham City handling something with some businessmen from Blüdhaven, Gotham's economically troubled neighboring city.

"Bruce…?" Richard wondered as Bruce began to roll down the passenger seat window. "What are you-? Never mind… umm, I didn't know you were in town."

"Where are you headed off?" Bruce questioned, ignoring his adopted son's inquiry.

"Oh…" Richard could feel the nervousness kicking in; there was just something about Bruce that always managed to intimidate him – even at the age of twenty. "I was actually going to go visit… Kori Anders. Is that all right with you…?"

Bruce nodded. "You've gotta do what you've gotta do, right?" he stated. "Please tell her family I said 'hello'."

Richard nodded nervously as Bruce began to back out of the driveway. Sighing to himself, he shook his head; Bruce didn't know what had happened on that terrible day that Richard told off his best friend, the last time he had really ever called Kori his girlfriend; no one really knew the truth.

_"Oh yeah?" Richard wondered. "Is that what you think? I'll tell you what I think then, Anders! I think that the only reason you can handle__anything__is because you have me!"_

_Kori's eyes widened as she slapped Richard across the face. "You know what? I have had it with you, Grayson. First, you suggest that I'm lazy. Then, you somewhat imply that I'm weak. And__now__you're suggesting that I need you in my life to survive! I do__not__need this and I certainly don't need you, Richard Grayson. Good day to you, sir!"_

_With that, Kori stormed out of Richard's bedroom; the scowl on her face more visible than any other facial expression Kori had ever expressed._

_"Well good riddance to ya!" Richard shouted as he slammed the bedroom door behind Kori. "I don't need you either!"_

A tear rolled down Richard's cheek. The flashback had brought back so many unwanted thoughts and emotions that Richard just couldn't contain himself. Exhaling, he wiped his cheek; he had to stay strong before meeting up with Kori once again. The last thing he needed was for anyone to see him in such a sorry state.

It was now five o'clock; he had managed to pick up the flowers only an hour before. Sighing to himself once more, Richard felt his chest swell with unbearable pain as he pulled into the Anders's driveway with a broken smile. He approached the door with a heavy heart and knocked slowly.

"Dick Grayson?" Koma scoffed as she opened the front door. "What the hell do you want? You have no right coming-."

"I know," Richard interrupted. "You're right; I don't have the right to march to your front door the way that I have, but – with your permission, Koma – I would like to see her again."

Koma eyed her sister's ex suspiciously. "Why should I grant-?"

"I know that I haven't given you _any _reason to trust me since then," Richard begged, "but _please_, Koma. I need to see Kori again… it's been _four _years to this day. Please!"

Rolling her eyes, Koma replied, "You know where to find her, right?"

Richard's eyes lit up at Koma's words. His heart began to soar, knowing that this was Koma Anders's way of granting him permission to see her baby sister. He nodded slightly before whispering to himself, "Under the mighty oak tree upon the hilltop furthest from the entrance…"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> Chapter six has been completed! YAY! Time to proceed onward with the rest of the storyline! WOOT! This installment of _Reminiscent Memories _was rewritten and republished on **August 7, 2012**.

I do so very much hope you are all just as excited as I am to move on with the rest of the story! If not, I can always just hold off for the time being. Teehee, I only kid. Of course, I should be finishing this story within the month so… at the same time as being excited, I'm kind of a little depressed as well. For those of you who didn't know, I actually wrote this story a long time before deciding I wanted it to be a Teen Titans fanfic… so the reason for hiatuses left and right for this story is because I had to find _some way_ to convert certain elements from the original story into this one; the last thing I wanted was for this story to just be an exact replica of the original but with different names. ;_; So I tried to incorporate the little that I knew about the Teen Titans into this. Again, my apologies for any OOC-ness that may have set some of you off; I reiterate: I am no good at capturing anything in its original light!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I do hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for **CHAPTER SEVEN – I'M SORRY**. It should be coming out sometime within the day or the week, depending on the amount of time I have to work on this story and _The Girl of My Dreams_. Remember to review and/or favorite! Whatever melts your butter :]

~ May Vulcan


	7. I'm Sorry

DISCLAIMER: I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SEVEN – I'M SORRY<strong>

"I just need to go straight to the mighty oak tree on top of the hill furthest from the exit," Richard muttered to himself over and over again.

Moments after getting permission to see Kori again, Richard hopped aboard his motorcycle with a slight frown. Though he had been preparing for the next time he would see Kori, he knew for a fact that he was anything, but ready to see her again. As he raced to his destination, Richard allowed more fond memories of the past to flood into his mind – anything to get his mind off of how guilty he was truly feeling.

"_I think I was wrong before," Richard admitted as he and Kori stood amidst the pouring rain._

_Kori looked at Richard with a look of awe as she tucked a stray hair behind her left ear. _

_He nodded as he returned Kori's look of admiration. "Maybe… _this _isn't all that I really am. Maybe I could be, maybe _we _could be…"_

"_Robin?"_

"_Starfire?"_

_Kori smiled at Richard. "Stop talking."_

_With that the two teenagers shared their first kiss._

In no more than fifteen minutes, Richard had arrived at the one place he had truly dreaded since his last encounter with Kori: the Jump City Cemetery. Carefully, he jumped off his motorcycle, holding the bouquet of roses close to his chest. As soon as his right foot touched the pavement, Richard felt a swarm of memories attack him. The day they first met – when Kori offered him to sit with her, Rachel, Garfield and Victor. The day they became friends – when Richard had broken up with Kitten because of her incessant jealousy and suffocation. The first time he took Kori for a ride on his motorcycle – when she had been brutally dumped by Xavier. The day that Kori had confessed her feeling for him – when the friendship between them blossomed into something more. The day that _he _confessed _his _feelings for her – when Kori suffered from her first anxiety attack. The days when he would scream at Kori when all she did was ask how he was doing. The first time she went to the hospital because of him. The good times. The bad times. And the worst…

Memory after memory began to flow into his thoughts and with every memory came a tear. He could no longer be strong. The pain had suddenly become too much for him to handle… the pain that he had caused the _both_ of them. All the times he had tried to make her jealous by flirting with other girls. All the times he had made her cry just by hurting her feelings. All the sacrifices she made just for him when he had nothing to offer her in return. Everything… was because of him. And then, he reached his destination.

_Kori Anders_

_February 22, 1986 – April 22, 2002_

Richard Grayson froze at the name before him; it was Kori's... _his _Kori's. He stared at the two dates on the headstone with a frown. February 22, Kori's sixteenth birthday had only been two months away from April 22 – the very last time Richard had ever spoken to her.

"I'm sorry…"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> Congratulations, you have completed this chapter of _Reminiscent Memories_! I am so sorry this chapter was _WAY _too short (and that Richard and Kori's 'reuniting' probably isn't what you all expected). Anyhow, this chapter was completed on **August 7, 2012**.

Thanks for reading! Reviews would be highly appreciated, so please tell me what you think. ;) And stay tuned for tomorrow's _final_ installment of this story.

~ May Vulcan


	8. What Hurts the Most

DISCLAIMER: I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER EIGHT – WHAT HURTS THE MOST<strong>

Richard gently placed the bouquet of yellow roses onto the grave site. Kneeling beside it, he looked at the name beautifully etched onto the headstone: _Kori_ _Anders_. She was the girl he let get away. She was the girl that had changed his life in a moment. She was the girl that always understood his problems no matter what. She was the girl Richard was able to call his best friend.

He looked at the green grass that surrounded her grave. He sighed as he went from kneeling beside her grave to sitting down beside it; Richard figured that he would be there for more than a few minutes. He glanced back at the two dates etched below the name, tears still falling from his eyes.

Opening his mouth to speak, Richard found himself closing it quickly. He could not find it in his heart to even begin talking to the slab of concrete that sat before him. He was _finally _coming to grips with reality; Kori Anders, his best friend and girlfriend, had died on April 22, 2002, and the last words he said to her were words he – to that very day, April 22, 2006 – regretted more than anything.

Tears fell onto the grass as Richard sat in front of Kori's headstone with nothing but memories of their broken friendship. He felt the guilt overpower his mind once more; he knew he didn't deserve to visit Kori, but he felt as though he had too.

"I'm so sorry…" Richard sobbed harder and harder, "… for everything."

"_But it was not your fault!" Kori tried to reassure Richard. "There is nothing you could have done. There will always be people that say mean words because you are different. And sometimes, their minds cannot be changed. But there are many more people that do not judge a person based on how they look… or where they came from. Those are the people whose words truly matter."_

_Richard clenched his fist still angered at what had happened. "But, Starfire… still; I should have stopped it… or at least _tried _to."_

_Kori sighed to herself as Richard began beating himself up about what had happened between her and the man that offered to mentor Richard. She _hated _seeing Richard in such a distressed state – especially if it was because of something she somewhat caused._

"I miss you so much…" he confessed, tears still pouring from his eyes.

"_But… I'm right here," Kori laughed. "How can you miss me now?"_

_Richard rolled his eyes playfully. "Shut up, Star. I _missed you_, okay? Are you happy _now_? I swear though, Kor, life is such a living _hell_ without you!_"

Richard looked up at the forming clouds for a moment. Smiling to himself, he recalled how the weather always seemed to match Kori's mood. Even the slightest change in emotion would somehow (as if by supernatural force) spark something in the skies above. Instantly, it began raining lightly in Jump City. As the rain began to pour, Richard looked at the roses he had lay down, trying to gather his words properly.

"Hey… Kori," he started. "I just came to talk to you… about life. Funny, isn't it? _I'm _the one going to _you _about life and such. Naturally, it would be the other way around. You were always the one who wanted to talk about the random things that life had to offer and I would just sit there, listening to you."

A gentle breeze kicked in as Richard went on. He closed his eyes as the wind danced on his cheek; Richard sighed to himself, trying to imagine Kori's presence beside him.

"You know," he sighed, "I wasn't the Valedictorian of our class. Sadly, that title went straight to Xavier. Ya'know… I stopped getting straight A's in high school since you… umm… left. The more and more I think about it you were the only reason I had those perfect grades. You took the time to help me with all those confusing assignments that I failed to understand. Heck! You even did some of the assignments _for _me!"

"_Um… can I copy your homework?" Richard wondered, nervously as Kori jotted notes down onto her notepad._

_Kori looked up from her notes with a look of disapproval. "Seriously, Richard?" she hissed. "What's your excuse _this_ time?"_

"_I didn't have time to do it," he whined. "The flight from Gotham City to here-."_

"_- should have been enough time for you to do the assignment," Kori scolded, before handing Richard her papers. "But I know you… so here."_

"_Thank you so much!" he remarked. "What're you writing?"_

"_We're supposed to be taking care of a fake baby in my child development class," Kori informed, continuing to jot down notes. "Alongside with caring for the child, we're supposed to come up with a name for the baby and give our reason as to why we picked that name."_

_Richard smiled as he took a glance at the names Kori had written down. "What about 'Mary'?" he offered, thinking of his late mother. "That's a pretty name, right?"_

"_I've always liked that name," Kori chimed, scribbling 'Mary' into her notes._

* * *

><p>"<em>What name!" Richard shouted angrily. "You're not making <em>any _sense!"_

"_The name that I gave you," Kori whispered, softly. "The nickname I gave you… I put it into your name project. I hope you don't mind."_

_Richard looked at Kori with a grateful grin. "You actually did the project for me?" he wondered, suddenly easing up._

_Kori giggled. "I told you I would do it," she reminded. "After we hung up on each other, I got straight to work on the project. It only took a few hours, but I sure do hope you like how it turned out."_

* * *

><p>"<em>Thanks," Richard said as he pulled Kori into a tight hug. "I owe you a lot for this one… and the one before this."<em>

"_For what?" Kori wondered, taken aback by the surprise hug from her best friend._

"_For saving my grade once again!" Richard remarked happily._

_Smiling to herself, Kori shook her head. "Richard, it was nothing."_

Richard shut his eyes, exhaling. He knew how much Kori's grades had suffered because she was always doing her best to help him with whatever work he failed to do on his own. He bombarded her with assignments that he usually had months to complete, only giving her days – sometimes _hours _at a time – to finish on her own. In return for all of those times, Richard had nothing to offer her.

"I owe you a hell of a lot more than I'm giving you right now, Kori," Richard acknowledged. "I remember all the crap I put you through from the time that we became friends up until the time when… well, you know."

"_No, _I'm _sorry," Kori said harshly. "I _don't _understand what you're trying to get at exactly."_

"_You screwed up…" Richard hissed with just as much venom._

"I _screwed up?" Kori questioned with a death glare. "How is it that _I _screwed up when it was _you_ who gave me the false information? Everything _you_ ever told me was a lie, wasn't it? Dick, why are we still even together?"_

"_I'm leaving," Richard announced, turning to leave._

* * *

><p>"<em>You cannot walk away from me this time, Richard Grayson," Kori pleaded. "You just… can't. We're not done talking here!"<em>

_Richard watched as Kori sobbed on the ground in front of him. Only a few days ago, Kori had received words from her younger brother, Ryan, that she had gotten an offer to take an acting course in Hollywood. She, of course, was happy for her chance at fame; however, Richard reacted differently._

"_Well," he replied icily as he tried to walk away from her, "I'm done talking to you."_

_Kori did not move from her spot on the ground as she continued to cry. She didn't understand why Richard couldn't be as supportive as her family and other friends. "Richard, please! I need you to understand this from my point of view!"_

"_What's there to understand?" he yelled, turning around to face her. "You're _leaving _Jump City for Hollywood in a few hours because of your stupid callback! Just go!"_

"_I know that you're not happy for me," she continued, "but could you at least _try _to be?"_

"_Why don't you go and ask your new friends in _Hollywood_?" Richard sneered. "They'll probably tell you exactly what they think and feel about you with no problems."_

_Kori looked up to see Richard hovering over her. She had been crying for – what seemed to be – hours now. She and Richard had been screaming at each other since she found out about her Hollywood offer. "Richard… no," she begged. "I want to know what _you_ think. What do _you_ feel?"_

* * *

><p>"… <em>I don't think I love you," Richard admitted to the already crying Kori.<em>

"I am so sorry, Kori!" Richard said, sobbing harder than before. "I owe you so much for everything! You were right about the extra period we took on during our sophomore year… After _that _day, I was dropped from the class because I was always at the Student Leadership workdays.

"I wish you were still here, Kori. Things would be so much easier. Everyone seems to hate me now… and quite frankly, I don't blame them. Oh God, Kori… why did my last words to you have to be '_I don't need you either!_'?" Richard asked himself. "You know… I never answered your question. Kori… Starfire, I saw you in my future… You always encouraged the better side of me.

"Kori, I-I-I-I wish I could just take back everything that happened four years ago."

"_Master Grayson," Alfred said urgently, "Master Wayne wishes for you to wait for him in the car this instant."_

_The date was April 22, 2002. Richard looked up from his history book intently as he watched Bruce zoomed around the hallways. "Wait," he said, still trying to finish reading the paragraph he was on, "I have to finish studying for my history exam in two weeks. Hold on a sec, Alfred… why?"_

"_Sir, it's about Miss Anders," Alfred sighed._

_Richard shot up from his computer chair immediately. "What's wrong with Kori?" he wondered._

_Just then, Bruce burst into Richard's bedroom. "Dick, get in the car… _NOW_."_

_Richard looked at Bruce, still very confused. "Bruce, what's going on?"_

"_Kori's in the hospital."_

_Richard's eyes widened as Bruce's words escaped from his lips. It wasn't possible for Kori to be in the hospital. She had _just _been over a half an hour ago. There couldn't have possibly been something that happened within that time frame to send Kori in the hospital, right?_

"_But I just saw her…"whispered Richard to himself as he raced after Bruce._

_The car ride to the Jump City Hospital Center was a quite one on Jared's part. Bruce, however, continued to bombard Richard with questions as to how this could have possibly happened._

"_What usually causes Kori's attack?" Bruce asked, concerned for the girl his adopted son was dating._

_**I do…**_

_Sensing that Richard didn't want to answer the question he had previously asked, Bruce proceeded with the questions. "Does this happen a lot? The panic attacks, I mean," the billionaire wondered._

_**Only when she's on emotional high**__… __**which is something that I usually cause by yelling at her out of the blue or by making her jealous when I purposely flirt with Kitten to get her attention…**_

_Finally taking note of the fact that Richard hadn't said anything, Bruce ended the conversation with, "Dick, it will all be okay."_

_**I sure hope you're right, Bruce.**_

"_Miss Anders," Bruce called out to Kori's older sister – and currently, her _only_ living relative._

"_Mr. Wayne," Koma responded softly, "thank you for coming… I didn't know who else to call. You were the first person that came to mind…"_

_Richard watched as Koma sent him a death glare from behind her tears. As terrible as Koma was to other people, she always had a soft spot for her younger siblings. And now __that she was Kori's legal guardian _and_ only sibling, Koma's "soft spot" had gotten much softer._

"_How is your sister?" Bruce asked the nineteen year old girl._

_Koma ran her hands through her raven black hair – the same way Kori did with her hair whenever she was stressed out. "The doctors here don't know what to do… they say that there has only been one other case like this one and it was my brother, Ryan's," Koma sighed, wiping her eyes. "How… are you doing, Dick?"_

_Richard knew that Koma didn't approve of his relationship with her sister. But he also knew how much she cared about Kori and how much she loved seeing her baby sister happy. He didn't know how to respond to Koma's question; how _was _he doing exactly?_

"_I'm… doing…" Richard paused between words, trying to pick them carefully, "… I'll be… okay. I guess."_

_Koma nodded as she approached Richard. She awkwardly wrapped her arms around her sister's boyfriend. "It'll be okay, Dick. Kori will be fine in a couple of hours. These attacks are usual nowadays, right? I know she'll get through this," Koma reassured. "Kori will be all right."_

Richard sobbed, "They were wrong!"

"_Miss Koma Anders…?" the doctor said._

"_Yes, sir?" Koma replied, standing up from her seat in the waiting room._

"_I'm so sorry…" he sighed._

_The three guests of Kori Anders seemed to already understand what that apology had meant. The news, however, seemed to brutally affect Richard more than it had anyone else in the room._

"Kori," Richard whispered as the rain continued to pour, "Starfire, I love you and I'm sorry."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> This story is officially complete. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I understand that the twist was actually _too much _of a twist, but remember that's how I originally wrote it (and I remember writing this during a _dark_ period in my life). Originally, the death was more brutal than a simple "anxiety attack"… granted, I know you can't die from an anxiety attack, but asdfjkl; it wasn't supposed to be an anxiety attack (I just labeled it that) ;_;

So… this story was written and published on **August 8, 2012. **Please, feel free to check out the other stories I have available. :] Don't forget to review! :D

~ May Vulcan


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